Editor's Note

The Charge

"A good woman isn't exactly the handle I'd choose for Mrs.
Erlynne."

Opening Statement

Oscar Wilde's Lady Windermere's Fan: A Play About a Good Woman was
first staged in 1892. The comedy finds a young married woman discovering clues
that her husband is having an affair, while something else entirely is going on.
The play has appeared on the silver screen before, starting with a 1925 Ernst
Lubitsch silent version.

A Good Woman, the 2004 remake, takes Wilde's story out of Victorian
London and puts it down on Italy's Amalfi Coast in 1930, where it plays out
among the jazz-age elite enjoying the summer season.

Facts of the Case

"Some women bring happiness wherever they go. Others, whenever they go.
I do both. Husbands like to see me come, wives like to see me go," Mrs.
Erlynne (Helen Hunt, Mad About You, As Good As It Gets) says in her
opening narration.

Her point is illustrated when she finds she can't pay a luncheon bill in a
fancy restaurant. Mrs. Erlynne tries to charge the lunch to the account of one
or another of her regular male friends, but the waiter keeps pointing out their
wives, sitting together at a nearby table. They've already spotted her, and are
whispering about her.

Thus, it's time for the "infamous and poor" Mrs. Erlynne to leave
New York. She heads for Italy, where she finds Mr. Windemere (Mark Umbers,
Colour Me Kubrick) considering a jewelry purchase for his new bride. Mrs.
Erlynne has a better idea, suggesting that he buy her a fan instead ("A man
should never buy his wife jewelry…It makes her wonder what he bought his
mistress."). Thus begins their relationship, setting in motion the acidic
tongues of the Amalfi regulars as they're seen leaving the shop together. With
his frequent visits to her apartment and the odd expression he has after
leaving, they're suspicious. One even tracks Mr. Windemere and Mrs. Erlynne with
binoculars.

Meg Windemere (Scarlett Johannson, Match
Point) trusts her husband—until she notes the number of checks he's
written to Mrs. Erlynne. When she becomes a doubter, she's open to the romantic
overtures of Lord Darlington (Stephen Campbell Moore, Bright Young Things). Meg's discovery
could interfere with Mrs. Erlynne's hope for a romantic relationship with Tuppy
(Tom Wilkinson, Batman Begins) as
well?

The Evidence

This version of Lady Windermere's Fan puts less emphasis on sharp
dialogue than does Oscar Wilde's stage play. Acidic lines in this version
contribute more to a sense of melodrama about the threat to Meg's marriage, and
to some touching scenes between Helen Hunt and Scarlett Johannson as the
situation unfolds. Wilde's wit—with additions from the likes of George
Bernard Shaw, Benjamin Franklin, and Winston Churchill that sound authentic even
when they're not as Wilde as you think—mostly is kept to the scenes with
the gossips and the dialogue between Mrs. Erlynne and Tuppy, punctuating scenes
rather than shaping them. At times, A Good Woman seems more like a weepy
Greta Garbo picture from the 1930s than a fluffy farce, especially with an opera
scene that echoes the one in Anna
Karenina. The ending isn't quite as tragic as Anna Karenina, though.
Fortunately.

As the scarlet Mrs. Erlynne, Helen Hunt gives the performance that holds the
movie together. At first she seems the wanton woman in the gossips' stories,
delivering her lines with a twinkle in her eye and an intimation that suggests
that she just might be sleeping with Mr. Windemere. Later, she reveals her
actual romantic interest in the wealthy, oft-divorced Tuppy through banter at
the opera. Both are frank about their past failures and their mercenary
intent—she wants money; he wants a beautiful wife. Then as the gossips get
to Meg and threaten her marriage, we see Mrs. Erlynne's compassionate side as
she steps in to keep the pair together. She can look young and coquettish or
show the wise face of a mature woman, depending on the turns of the story (and,
in part, a helpful cameraman). Hunt works best with Tom Wilkinson as Tuppy,
trading banter in the theatrical style you'd expect. She also has good scenes
with Scarlett Johansson as Meg, as she takes the younger woman under her wing
while hiding her true motives.

Scarlett Johannson may be overshadowed by Hunt, but she's sympathetic as the
pretty newlywed who falls prey to the gossips. She's given a look that echoes
Greta Garbo and other silent film sirens, but manages to keep her sweetness and
naïveté in view at all times. Her pouting expression tells the story
as she confronts Mrs. Erlynne, of whom she's no fan.

The best of the supporting players is Wilkinson as the cynical Tuppy, who
tells Mrs. Erlynne, when courting, that he's "had too many romances out of
sentiment. They always end in settlement." While he claims shallowness,
it's apparent as the movie goes on that he genuinely cares for Mrs. Erlynne.
Hunt and Wilkinson make us hope more for these secondary characters than for the
Windemeres who are at the center of the story. Mark Umbers does a good job of
misleading the audience without appearing to be deceptive, a necessity for the
role of Mr. Windemere. The comic relief is led by Italian actress Milena Vukotic
(Andy Warhol's Dracula) as a Contessa who leads the gossip then plays
sympathetic with Meg when she's doubting her husband. "Crying is the refuge
of plain women. Pretty women go shopping," the Contessa advises Meg, who
doesn't know yet how expensive the Contessa's gossip and meddling could be.

A Good Woman is excellent at recreating the milieu of the wealthy
summer crowd, with homes and people looking stylish. Director Mike Barker has a
knack for using what's available to best effect. A scene with pigeons flying
away as Meg and the Contessa walk toward the camera demonstrates his
improvisational agility. The buildings from Rome and the Italian Riviera have
aged slightly, but still look enough like they did in 1930 to pass muster. With
many outdoor scenes, the lighting is occasionally too bright and washed out but
usually works well. Ambient noise is used quite a bit, adding grace notes
without interfering with dialogue.

The commentary by Producer Alan Greenspan and Director Mike Barker points to
the many limitations of a tight budget and rainy weather amid the lauding of the
cast.

The Rebuttal Witnesses

If you're expecting sharp comedy and satire, you probably will be
disappointed with this adaptation. With the Oscar Wilde dialogue trimmed back,
the script loses a little bit of punch, looking pretty but feeling empty. The
first part of the movie also packs in plot points too fast, making it harder to
get involved with the characters.

Closing Statement

This little picture will make a decent rental if you're into melodrama and it
might grow on you, but check it out before buying.

The Verdict

On its own merits, this one's not guilty, since it's a reasonable enough way
to spend an evening. Be warned that it is guilty of tampering too much with its
source, though.